Autograph madness for Angels Scioscia, Trumbo

July 11, 2011

Updated Feb. 4, 2014 1:35 a.m.

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More than 600 fans lined up to meet Angels manager Mike Scioscia and rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo for an autograph session at Howard's appliance superstore in Irvine on Saturday, July 9. Check out a slide show about those dedicated fans who waited long hours to meet these sportsmen.PHOTO COURTESY ADRIAN AGUILAR, TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/THE REGISTER

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Howard's customers learned about the signing about two weeks ago on signs at the new Howard's superstore, which opened in June. Angels -- and Dodgers -- fans were abuzz to find out that Manager Mike Scioscia, who usually has about one public signing a season, would be here. Scioscia's endorsement deal with the 11-store appliance chain began in 1991 when he was the Dodgers catcher. He became a Howard's pitchman, doing one or two yearly appearances as well as radio and TV spots since 2003 as the Angels manager. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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The Scioscia-Trumbo autograph session was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Howard's store at The Market Place in Irvine. Some fans arrived as early at 1:15 a.m. By 7 a.m., there were more than 150 people in folding chairs, holding places in line. By 9 a.m., more than 500 people gathered, forming a line that stretched from Howard's, passed the storefronts of Anaheim Patio and Fireside, Barnes and Noble, Sports Authority and Relax the Back. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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The fans at the front of the line are experienced autograph seekers who knew just how early to get the Howard's in Irvine to be at the front of the line for this Angels signing on Saturday. At 6:30 a.m., they're happy for daylight, having arrived before 4 a.m. Pictured from left to right are Johnny Guzman, 34, of Monrovia; Alex Hernandez, 34, Gus Hernandez, 27, brothers from Van Nuys; Vince Huidor, 35, of Los Angeles; and Luis Garcia, 28, of Fontana. The Hernandez brothers had met Huidor at a previous sports signing and decided to make the trip with Huidor's buddy Garcia to sleep out for Scioscia together. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Johnny Guzman, 34, of Monrovia, shows off a picture of him and Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson from a recent signing the former New York Yankee and Angel had at The OC Dugout in Anaheim. Guzman arrived at 1:15 a.m. on Saturday morning to be first in line at the Scioscia-Trumbo signing at Howard's in Irvine. Unsure if he was allowed to wait in front of the store so early, he hid behind a large potted plant beside the Howard's entrance. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Vince Huidor, 35, of Los Angeles, finishes his coffee just before 7 a.m. and talks about how you get a guaranteed payoff when you come out early for an autograph session. Having arrived before 4 a.m. with three friends, the probation officer was proud to know he was going to get to meet former Dodgers catcher-turned-Angels manager Mike Scioscia. He shows off his tattoo of Dodger Stadium. He has been going to signings since 2004, when he got an autograph from Rollie Fingers. He had met the two brothers who accompanied his to this signing at a session for former Laker Rick Fox. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Extra mall security was brought in for crowd control. Nestor, the officer on the left, worked through the night and reported that the pre-dawn crowd was very "well behaved." The gathering is allowed, he said, as long as there are no bonfires, no open containers of alcohol and no loud music. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Among the first 30 people in line are those fans who came and set up a minicamp in line. Robert Alba (green shirt) talks baseball will his children, Adam, 14 (left), and Madison, 15, and their friend, R.J. Hester, 15. A picture of Angels manager Mike Scioscia holds a space beside Robert Menchaca (right), of Garden Grove, a memorabilia collector who sold pictures of Scioscia and Angels rookie Mark Trumbo to fans in line who sought to have something more than a baseball to have autographed. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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The lack of sleep has left R. J. Hester, 15, of Diamond Bar, a little goofy. He shows off his home run ball from his Pony League game that he is going to have Angels manager Mike Scioscia and slugging first baseman Mark Trumbo sign. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Back after meeting Angels Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos at a MetroPCS signing earlier this season, Adrian Aguilar, 36, of Santa Ana, shows off a Trumbo photograph he hopes to have signed on Saturday at Howard's in Irvine. The Angels fan arrived at 6 a.m. and waited five hours to get signatures from Trumbo and Angels manager Mike Scioscia. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Around 7:30 a.m., an employee from Barnes and Noble, which neighbors Howard's in The Market Place in Irvine, offers free iced coffee samples to autograph seekers and tells them that the bookstore's cafe is already open. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Knowing that a lot of fans don't have time to shop for items before getting in line early, Larry Barrios, left, of Rosemead, walks up and down the line with a sports bag filled with official MLB baseballs and Rawlings maple and ash bats that fans can buy. "I've been collecting for 18 years and about eight years ago, the light went off that there's a need to sell special items that people might want to get autographed," says Barrios, showing off a bat to Elijah Gomez of Santa Ana. Gomez, right, bought an Angels 50th anniversary ball for $20 and planned to have it signed as a gift for his daughter, Hailey, 2. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Waiting in line about 100 spots from the front on Saturday at Howard's in Irvine, Tony Herrera, left, and his brother, Omar Herrera, both of San Bernardino, try to keep Omar's son, Evan, 3, amused during the long wait. Tony is an Angels fan; Omar a Dodgers fan. "This is one signing for both Angels and Dodgers fans," says Omar Herrera, who seeks the autograph of former Dodgers catcher-turned-Angels manager Mike Scioscia. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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The hours in line allowed for fans to get to know each other and catch up on reading. Melissa Hester, left, and husband, Christopher Hester, of Costa Mesa, are expecting their first child -- a girl. Christopher, center, read an issue of "New Parent" magazine. "It's eye opening to see so many Dodgers fans and Angels fans together," says Melissa Hester, two seats away from Dodgers fan Ryan Colley of Victorville. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Melissa Hester, 35, of Costa Mesa, plans to add Angels manager Mike Scioscia's signature to her Angels hat. Waiting three hours outside Howard's in Irvine in the shade on Saturday morning wasn't as uncomfortable an experience as the four hours she put it outside a Fountain Valley Costco for then-Angel Chone Figgins. "We were outside in the hot sun for hours and then when we finally got to him, they had him all the way back in the meat department where it was freezing," she recalls. "They had him between the pot pies and the ice cream." PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Michele Kauten, of Anaheim, and Rob Rohm arrived around 8 a.m. for Saturday's Scioscia-Trumbo autograph session. Rohm, an Angels fan and longtime Angels memorabilia collector, has a room devoted to items of his favorite team. He's a signing regular when he's not working as a creative print director for a San Jose firm. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Angels fans all their lives, Jackie Jones (clockwise from top) and Casey Jones of Norwalk, Patty Heltzel of Fullerton and Nancy Serota of Irvine arrive about two hours before the 10 a.m. scheduled start time for the Howard's autograph session featuring Angels Mike Scioscia and Mark Trumbo. But they see that there are about 300 people in front of them and worry that they might not get the autographs during the Angels two-hour session. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Camping out to get the autograph of former Dodgers catcher-turned-Angels manager Mike Scioscia, the early-arriving fans who got their before sunrise catch up on their sleep in line on Saturday morning. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Wayne Chen, 24, of San Gabriel, and Joseph Wang, 22, of Corona, camp out and snooze while in line on Saturday to meet Angels manager Mike Scioscia and first baseman Mark Trumbo. These two autograph seekers arrived before 7 a.m. for the 10 a.m. signing and were within the first 100 people in line. Turns out a lot of the early arrivals were holding places for friends and family members who arrived closer to 10 a.m. When the doors opened at Howard's, this pair woke to find about 100 more people jumped in the line ahead of them. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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It's 10 a.m. on Saturday inside the Howard's superstore at The Market Place in Irvine -- and the fans are still outside and stirring, waiting for the autograph session of Angels Mike Scioscia and Mark Trumbo to begin. But their waited lasted an extra 30 minutes longer as Scioscia was a late arrival. "Are they going to fine him?" a few fans wondered, which is what teams do to players late for team functions. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Because of Mike Scioscia's popularity as a former Dodgers catcher and a current Angels managers, the crowd at Howard's in Irvine on Saturday featured many Freeway Series rival fans standing side by side for hours. They got along well. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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It was such a long morning -- a four-hour wait for many who camped out with snacks, beverages, reading material and handheld games. Nancy Swanberg, 51, of Mission Viejo, got a lot done on the baby blanket that is her crochet project. Her family bonded with neighbors in line. Pictured from left to right are Kevin Hay, 27, of Hacienda Heights; Chris Peoples, 49, and Brad Peoples, 14, of San Clemente; Bob Swanberg, 52, Nancy and Joshua Swanberg, 14, of Mission Viejo. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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By the time that the event was supposed to begin (10 a.m.), autograph seekers broke camp, packed away their chairs and coolers in their cars and formed a tight single file line. They also got out what they planned to have signed. Omar Herrera of San Bernardino knows that there is one autograph before person per player. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Omar Herrera of San Bernardino plans to have this photo from the early 1980s signed by Angels manager Mike Scioscia. It features Scioscia and former Dodgers Cy Young winning pitcher Fernando Valenzuela running side by side. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Longtime Angels fan and autograph seeker Julio Torres, right, unfurls the photo a photo he planned to have signed. He has several items and was coming up with a strategy for which of his friends and family members would handle each one with which player. "You have to plan," says Torres of Anaheim. He is joined by Ed Jacks, left, of Irvine, who arrived at 5:45 a.m. to reserve spaces for the 10 a.m. signing for Torres' family who showed just after 7 a.m. Julio's daughter, Priscilla, and sister, Lulu Camacho, sit between Jacks and Julio Torres. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Brian Rokos of Riverside leans against the hedges the "Monster Scioscia" ballpark sign he bought for $15 from the Angels Yard Sale. As he joined the line, fans pointed and laughed at what appeared to be the largest piece of memorabilia awaiting an autograph on Saturday at Howard's in Irvine. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Angels slugging first baseman Mark Trumbo (Villa Park High) came to Howard's at 9:40 a.m. on Saturday, 20 minutes before the 10 a.m. scheduled start. He'd do a little waiting himself since Angels manager Mike Scioscia didn't arrive until 10:30 a.m., delaying the start of the autograph session. A cardboard standup of Scioscia was nearby, though. "There's going to be a lot of people here today ... for him not me," says Trumbo, who had hit the walk-off home run the night before ikn the victory over Seattle. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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On of several life-size cardboard Mike Scioscia Howard's standups is pressed between two freezer boxes in the back of Howard's appliance superstore in Irvine. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Hundreds of fans continue to add to the line that ran the length of the storefronts from Howard's and down The Market Place in Irvine. Autograph seekers were restless and those several hundred near the end not sure whether they would make it to meet Angels Mike Scioscia and Mark Trumbo. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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About a hundred fans stood on the sidewalk on the side of the Market Place, the line snaking around the mall by 9 a.m., an hour before the autograph session was scheduled to begin. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Johnny Guzman, the first fan in line, was among the first to get the autograph of Angels manager Mike Scioscia on Saturday at Howard's. He had waited 10 hours outside the store for this moment and he smiled. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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"How are you doing, bud?" asks Angels rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo before signing a young fan's minibat. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Alex Hernandez, 34, of Van Nuys, turns through his book filled with Dodgers autographs to find the perfect place for former Dodgers catcher-turned-Angels manager Mike Scioscia to sign. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Vince Huidor, 35, of Los Angeles, presents former Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia with a canvas to sign. Other Dodgers have signed the piece. Scioscia commented on Huidor's show of True Blue in Angels country. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Autograph seekers in groups of 20 entered Howard's to meet Angels Mike Scioscia and Mark Trumbo, allowing about 200 fans through in the first 40 minutes of what was supposed to be a two-hour session. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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After seeing the larger-than-life Monster Scioscia ballpark sign that one fan was set to get signed, Angels fan Cesar Berber, 33, of Santa Ana, flashes his smaller treasure that will soon bear Scioscia's autograph: a 2002 World Series baseball from the Angels' only championship. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Dodgers fan Wayne Chen, 24, of San Gabriel, has a ball signed by Angels manager and former Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia. Having been to other autograph sessions before, Chen has seen people bring some unusual items -- such as a pitching rubber to an Orel Hershiser signing -- to autograph. Chen prefers the traditional baseball. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

Angels manager Mike Scioscia can barely contain his laughter as he has to get up from the table and stand to autograph Brian Rokos' "Monster Scioscia." The enormous sign is so large that Rokos had to rent a U-Haul to get it to Howard's in Irvine for the Saturday autograph session. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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"This is scary!" is the message Angels manager Mike Scioscia put above his signature. "That ought to be illegal," Scioscia jokes about seeing the large image of him return in the hands of a diehard fan. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

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Victory! After several hours in line, the cost of a rental U-Haul to transport it from Riverside, the former Angel Stadium sign known as "Monster Scioscia" gets autographed by the Angels manager Mike Scioscia. The sign's owner Brian Rokos needed pal, C.P. Smith, to carry out the sign and pack it into the truck for the trip back to his Riverside home. PHOTO AND TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH, THE REGISTER

More than 600 fans lined up to meet Angels manager Mike Scioscia and rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo for an autograph session at Howard's appliance superstore in Irvine on Saturday, July 9. Check out a slide show about those dedicated fans who waited long hours to meet these sportsmen.PHOTO COURTESY ADRIAN AGUILAR, TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/THE REGISTER

About a half dozen autograph seekers arrived before 4 a.m., six hours before Angels manager Mike Scioscia and slugging rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo were to begin an autograph session at Howard's appliance superstore in The Market Place in Irvine.

Check out a slide show to see who turned out, what they brought to get signed, how long they waited, what they did with their time and who is "Monster Scioscia."

More than 600 Angels – and Dodgers – fans took a place in a line that spanned the length of the mall and wrapped around its side.

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